Abandoned Sheep Station

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 112, 28 May 1937, Page 6

Abandoned Sheep Station

„ : R. T.

REID.

Sir,— I have read in toniglit's issue of the Herald-Tribune a report of the address delivered by the Hon. Adam Hamilton in Levin, and if the gentleroan is correctly reported, he stated that "as the result of the Labour legislation a large sheep run and four timber mills had closed down in the South Island owing to the higiher cost operation." '• Well, Sir, it may or may not be true. of the timber mills, but it is certainly untrue of the large eheep station, and one must either assume that Mr Hamilton has been wrongly informed, or he is grasping at any straw to bring the Government into disrepute. If he is referring to the TarndaleMoleswof th ' Statioil (which no doubt he is), the writer happens to have a" personal knowledge of this area dating back to 1908, and it is common knowledge to those who h&ve any idea of its gituation and the nature of the country that it has been surely doomed to this fate for many years past Some .15 years ago nearly 3Q,000 sheep perished in the snow on Tarn dale, and as high-country merino sheep have become practically non-existent for etocking purposes (these are the one and only type of sheep that can live on the country) the flock haB diminished to such an extent that the ultimate abandoning of t-he station was only a matter of time. '-. The owners, in an endeavour to keep up the flock and hold- on, purchased merino sheep from lower-Iying country, but this proved a failure, as very few of these sheep were ever mustered. ..... From the foregoing, Sir, it would appear utter nonsense to blame the Government of the day for failures such as this, unless, of course, Mr Hamilton's Party, if ever in power again, could ' alter the situation and climatic conditions of such stations. In conclusion, and in thanking you for your space, I think it would be more fitting to the dignity of his position if Mr Hamilton endeavoured to bii suie of his facts. Everybody admires a fair fighter and all people despise the unfair. — Yours, etc.,

Hastings, May 27, 1937. v